Speaker:
Title:
Engineering a Biomining Platform for Lithium Extraction
Abstract:
Conventional lithium brine mining is an outdated process, relying mostly on chemical reagents and evaporation to procure lithium from competing salts. Not only is lithium extraction a slow process, but it also has a low recovery rate due to impurities co-precipitating with lithium. We present an alternative approach for brine extraction by engineering yeast to hyperaccumulate lithium in saline environments. To meet the growing demand, this biomining platform provides a basis for extracting lithium quickly and efficiently with reduced environmental impact.